Weakness
by Lellow
Summary: AU - When Himura Tomoe wakes up, the world is no longer as she left it. Alone, but for her younger brother Enishi, and released from her sordid duty to destroy the legendary hitokiri she struggles to find her place in a world that is falling apart.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: All characters, places and situations in this piece of fiction would not be in existence without the genius of Watsuki Nobuhiro. There is no money being made of this piece of imagination

SPOILERS: Remembrance Arc

SYNOPSIS: AU - When Himura Tomoe wakes up, the world is no longer as she left it. Alone, but for her younger brother Enishi, and released from her sordid duty to destroy the legendary hitokiri she struggles to find her place in a world that is falling apart.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: See end of Chapter 1

* * *

Weakness

**Prologue**

'_Rather than hoping for a weakness that may not exist, it is much more reliable to create one...' _

_Rurouni Kenshin – Remembrance 10: The Binding Forest_

There wasn't enough time.

By the time he had sensed her it was too late. He had swung. His arm, numb and unresponsive, could no longer cease the momentum of the blade and cut flesh.

Her flesh

His wrist twisted in an effort to prevent the blade from cutting further into her.

But she was already falling, already painting the snow crimson.

He could not remember how he came to be holding her in his arms, but he was there by her side, the sound of her laboured breathing blending with the strong gusts of the winter chill.

A declaration and a plea broke through the cacophony.

_This is the way it should be...please don't cry..._

He spoke only her name, over and over again as he watched her eyes close and her breathing...

_Her breathing..._

The thought spurred him into action and he tore his already blood soaked haori and wrapped up her wound. The amount of blood on her let him know he had damaged a major artery, but the bleeding was subsiding faster than usual, thanks to the cold.

With a strength born of desperation he tucked her body securely within his arms and ran. The cold bit at his skin, and his lungs burned with effort but he refused to relent. He couldn't stop, not now. He didn't remember where or how far he had run, only that he had finally found another hut in the forest.

'Please, help her' He said to the frightened couple whose front door he had burst through.

The man took her from him and Kenshin was able to steady himself on the doorframe. He watched as the man laid Tomoe gently on the floor while the woman rushed to her side with bandages.

Kenshin felt the world turn upside down. A wave of nausea overtook him before he promptly collapsed.


	2. Chapter 1: Alone

DISCLAIMER: All characters, places and situations in this piece of fiction would not be in existence without the genius of Watsuki Nobuhiro. There is no money being made of this piece of imagination

SPOILERS: Major spoilers for the 'Remembrance Arc' – Volume's 19-21.

SYNOPSIS: AU - When Himura Tomoe wakes up, the world is no longer as she left it. Alone, but for her younger brother Enishi, and released from her sordid duty to destroy the legendary hitokiri she struggles to find her place in a world that is falling apart.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: See below. Please read and review!

* * *

_Weakness_

**Chapter 1: Alone **

_Pride can stand a thousand trials_

_The strong will never fall_

_But watching stars without you_

_My soul cried_

_-Kissing You, Des'ree_

She had no thought, no awareness, no existence. Then there was the light, shining, bright and very real. So was the pain, in her head and in her body. She felt a strange heaviness settle on her chest. Then a sudden thought as the noise around her somehow became words.

'Tomoe... '

_My name_

The sudden realization awoke something inside her and questions streamed into her head needing answers.

_Where am I?_

'You're at the Sekijyuji Medical Center, in Kyoto'

_What happened?_

'You've been asleep for two weeks'

_...my husband..._

'Lucky that young man brought you here...'

_... Where is he?_

No answer came for this question and panic filled her heart. She sat up and grabbed the nurses hand to demand an answer. A sharp pain lanced through her back and she screamed. There was pain, then darkness again.

* * *

When she woke next it was dark. The pain in her back was still there and now so was a shadow, standing watch at the window. The moonlight shone brightly casting the unmistakable silhouette of a man with a wakizashi and katana at the waist.

_Kenshin._

She tried to lifted her right hand and found to her shock that it was bound to the bed. Her surprised cry alerted the figure at the window who knelt by her side.

'You're awake'

_That's not his voice._

Panic gripped her heart, she screamed, yet the sound that came out of her mouth was weak and pitiful. Her body shook violently, painfully aware of her helplessness.

'The doctor said not to move so much' the man's hands were now on her shoulders holding her still. 'The wound is still fresh.'

_Wound?_

'There's no need to cry' he said wiping away her tears. 'I won't hurt you.'

Tomoe stilled and looked up at the man. He had a round, earnest face which looked at her in worry.

'My name is Tanaka Saburo' he offered releasing her shoulders. She took a calming breath and was surprised at how painful such an action was. She turned her head towards him.

'Where is my husband?'

The man blinked, perplexed.

'The man who brought you here said that you were found amidst a battle' he said, fiddling with the hilt of his sword. 'Perhaps your husband was among the dead?'

_A battle? With me?_

A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed.

'He can't...'

_He can't be dead._

'My husband is an excellent swordsman' she said in defiance.

Her companion looked at her in sympathy.

'Excellent swords men die too'

At this she fell silent. The moment seemed to stretch for eons until she heard the door to her room slide open. Too exhausted to turn her head, she watched as the samurai guarding her tensed, then relaxed as he saw her visitor.

'Good news little man,' the samurai spoke with effortful joviality. Tomoe could see he was relieved someone else had entered the room. 'Your sister's awake'

'Ne-chan!'

Tomoe, let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and slowly turned towards him.

'Enishi'

She cupped his face with her left hand and the boy nuzzled into her touch pleased at her attention. She raked her hand through his hair then paused.

'Didn't I tell you to go back to Edo?'

He nodded.

'I couldn't' he said looking at the ground. 'I wanted you to come home.'

'Oh, Enishi' she whispered, her voice filled with emotion. She fought the urge to cry, as she held him close. 'Were you hurt in the battle?'

Enishi blinked.

'No' he replied, his brow knit in concern. 'Don't you remember?'

Tomoe shook her head.

Enishi's eyes blazed with anger.

'_He_ was the one who hurt you' he said, his tone matter of fact. 'He was angry so he hurt you and left you here'

'Left?'

Enishi nodded.

'Two days ago'

She felt her hands go numb. The pain in her back meant nothing as an ice cold fist wrapped around her heart. He had discovered her betrayal and he had left her cold and alone. Exhausted and heartbroken, Tomoe turned her face away from her brother and wept.

* * *

She had not spoken for days. Each morning she would wake and stare out the window. Enishi wondered if she was waiting for him to return to her, but each time he asked she would say nothing, only rake her hand through his hair. Even then, he wondered if she took comfort in such an action.

Tomoe seemed empty and hollow and it frightened him. When news of Kiyosato's murder had come to Edo, she had felt such anger and sorrow. She had felt so deeply and so passionately. Now, it was as though she was not even of her own body, she would go for days without sleep and only ate at his insistence.

Three long weeks had passed before she had deigned to try to walk, after a package wrapped in a fine plum silk arrived at her bedside. Tomoe recognized it as her shawl.

'The young man who brought you here told us to give this to you when you were well' the harried, nurse said.

Tomoe carefully unwrapped the package. Enishi peered at the contents over her shoulder, her diary, a mirror and a bag of coins.

'He also requests that you not travel to Edo at this time because of the fighting' she continued. 'He has arranged to pay the Sekijuyji until you are well.'

Enishi let out a sigh of relief and peeked to see his sister nodding silently as the girl made her way out of the room.

'Wait' she called out surprising both Enishi and the nurse. The nurse paused at the door. 'Did he say when he would be coming back?'

'No miss' she replied and left.

* * *

That evening, Tomoe opened her diary. She had seldom written of their time in Otsu. It seemed unnecessary to write her thoughts, when there was someone there who was willing to listen to them. Since they had been together he had never silenced her, not even when she voiced her recriminations.

Her eyes fell on a page in her diary. It was dated five weeks ago, the first day the snow had fallen. She had remembered it specifically because, it was the only morning he did not go outside to practise his kata. That day he simply stood and watched.

'_First snowfall' he said when he sensed her approaching him from behind. 'It seems wrong to mar the ground with footsteps.' _

She had later learned that when with his master, it was ritual for him to refrain from his morning kata at first snowfall. That morning she invited him to sit with her and she had taught him how to write those two words. Her shaky finger traced the clumsy lines, and she recalled the look of utter concentration on his face as he attempted to match her perfect script.

Tomoe looked at her trembling right hand. It would be a miracle if she were able to use it again. That night she flipped through her diary, reading through all the events, both petty and profound which had led her to this moment. When she had finished she bound the diary in twine and after only a moment's hesitation, threw it into the kitchen fire.

Tonight, began the life of a new woman, a woman who would no longer burden others with her pain.

Enishi was the first to notice the change, and it surprised her how much lighter her heart became when she saw her brother's joy. Was this the joy she had unintentionally withheld from others for so long?

The war raged on and Tomoe busied herself by aiding the doctor and his nurses as well as she could. Since the trembling in her hand hadn't ceased, she was consigned to laundry duty and washing floors. Duties which left little room for error and with small consequences should an error occur.

Her help had been nothing compared to Enishi's. His quick and agile mind had picked up an understanding of medicine with impressive speed and she could not help but be amazed at the things he could understand.

Three months had come and gone and as each day passed her hope that he would return for her lessened.

Then one spring night he appeared at her window. The shadows barely hid his red hair and his scarred face. Their eyes locked in an instant. She stepped forward towards him, needing to be closer to make sure his presence was real. There was an expression of wonder in his face as she neared him and reached out her hand to push a streak of red hair away from his face and traced the new scar on his cheek, it was still red and angry.

'I did this' she whispered.

His eyes closed in pain. He placed his hand over hers and tried to pull it away, but she caught it and pressed it to her lips.

'I had word you had awakened' he whispered shakily. She could feel the pulse in his wrist quicken. It made her smile. That she could still elicit such a reaction from him, after so long had told her all she needed to know. Tomoe closed the gap between them. Her lips hovered above his for a moment before she spoke.

'I've missed you'

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

So I wrote this shortly after writing my fic 'Endings', it was inspired by all the positive feedback I got from it... Anyway most of my reviewers have asked if I'm going to write about what came after. But I kinda like the story 'Endings' the way it is ... the life that awaits Tomoe and Kenshin at the end of that story has so much potential... so I say _you _decide what you want to happen to our heroes : )

Anyway, _this _fic, I think it's OK, just not fully conceptualized... ( I feel that the characterizations for my supporting cast are quite poor and I'm still a little iffy about the last interaction)... I've actually written _more_ than what I am presenting to you now, but the calibre of writing in my other scenes is quite awful and needs further refining. I've left it on the back burner because I want to focus my attentions on 'The Assassin' which is taking up the majority of the spare time I've got! So if you like _this_ story and you wanna know what happens next, you gotta let me know ok?

Also for those who are waiting for the next chapter of 'The Assassin' I've nailed in my scenes and sent them off to be beta'ed. However my beta is currently enjoying a wonderful 10-day trip in Europe and by the time she sends it back to me I will be at a hospital placement far away from home... so I'm thinking it's not going to be going up for another 9-10weeks tops, but just so you know... it's on its way!

Anyway I hope you enjoyed the fic... Please review


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